The discussion at the Guard Station was over in under thirty minutes.
The simple truth was that Rei and his party had absolutely no idea why they had been attacked. So when asked to explain the motive, they naturally had no answer to give.
As for the theory that something might have been hidden inside Elena's carriage—the most suspicious candidate—inspecting it yielded no clear results.
Of course, it was entirely possible that Rei and his party simply hadn't noticed something concealed within. But even granting that, the likelihood remained low. There was also the question of whether someone capable of pulling off such a feat without detection would bother sending men of that caliber.
Ultimately concluding that their only option was to wait for the unconscious attackers to wake up and be questioned, the guards released Rei's party.
"I would've liked to know what was going on, though," Rei murmured.
"They'll tell us eventually, I'm sure," Marina replied from the sofa inside the carriage. "We have more than our share of important figures here. Whoever sent them will demand a report, and their superiors won't be happy."
The exchange that had just taken place was undoubtedly already spreading among the residents. As they headed toward the Wheat Inn at dusk, many people outside the window glanced at the carriage and whispered to those nearby.
"Hey, you hear about that commotion just now? The guy in that carriage got jumped right on the main street."
"Hah? Is he stupid? That's Set walking alongside it, right? Means Rei's inside. Who in their right mind attacks that carriage?"
"I saw the whole thing. They were shouting something that made absolutely no sense."
"You're kidding. That means they were seriously trying to commit banditry inside Gilm."
"That's exactly what I'm telling you. And the attackers were all wearing masks."
"...What were they even trying to accomplish?"
At that, the passersby could do nothing but tilt their heads in bewilderment. Even from an outside perspective, they had absolutely no idea what the men who attacked the carriage had been after. The guards and Rei's party were equally clueless—their only lead was the men they'd captured.
"It was a ridiculous attack, but there are surprisingly few clues leading to whoever was pulling the strings behind it," Vihera muttered, sipping the fruit water Rei had poured.
Normally, drinking cold fruit water in late autumn would only make you freeze. But this carriage was a custom-ordered creation from Duke Kerebel, and naturally came equipped with both heating and cooling functions.
Sort of like eating ice cream in a kotatsu in winter, Rei mused, taking a sip of his own drink.
"True," Marina replied to Vihera. "Still, I'd rather not think that someone capable of such stupidity was actually scheming something elaborate."
Elena apparently agreed, nodding as she drank her fruit water.
The carriage rolled on as they talked, eventually arriving near the Guild.
"Alright, I'll be getting off here," Marina announced. "There's a lot I need to do, and I have to spread the word about clearing that dungeon."
Marina had resolved to step down as Guild Master and pass the position to her successor, but she was still the Guild Master at present. That meant no shortage of work—especially since she had been away from the Guild dealing with Vihera's situation. There were stacks of documents requiring the Guild Master's review, and she needed to notify various parties about the upcoming handover.
For an ordinary Guild Master, stepping down wouldn't cause much of a stir. But Marina was a different case. She had served as Guild Master of Gilm—a frontier city—for years. Countless adventurers in Gilm owed her for her guidance. And even those who had never been directly helped, upon seeing Marina even once—a woman who radiated feminine charm so intensely it was almost overwhelming—would find her seared into their memory. Men, and sometimes even women, would find themselves struck down by that allure. With Marina stepping down, an uproar was inevitable.
Beyond that, Marina had a deep relationship with Daskar, the lord of Gilm. The Guild was already an immensely important institution in Gilm—the city's survival on the frontier depended largely on its adventurers. If the Guild Master who commanded those adventurers announced she was stepping down, it would never be as simple as "I'm no longer the Guild Master starting tomorrow." Making rounds to greet people and, above all, executing a proper handover were critical.
Though for the handover to proceed, Worker would need to return to Gilm, and that was likely still some time away. Marina intended to actively prepare from now through the approaching winter, so that the moment Worker returned, she could immediately carry out the handover and transfer the position.
"I see. Understood," Rei said. "I'd have liked to take you home, but I don't actually know where your house is."
"Hehe. Now that you mention it, that's true. Up until now, we've always met in the Guild's Office." Marina smiled. "My house is in the Noble District. It doesn't matter for now, but once I step down as Guild Master, we'll probably end up meeting there more often."
Rei nodded with a quiet understanding. He knew how important adventurers were to Gilm, and since the Guild Master oversaw them all, she couldn't be allowed to live just anywhere. With Marina's abilities, she'd be perfectly safe even in the slums. But considering appearances—as a Guild Master, and given Daskar's position as lord of Gilm—letting Marina live somewhere like the slums was simply out of the question.
"Is it alright to keep living in the Noble District even after stepping down as Guild Master?"
"Even though I'm stepping down, I'll still be taking on an advisory role. Besides, I bought the house with my own earnings. Though, for a place in the Noble District, it's quite small."
If Marina had wanted to, she could have built one of the largest estates in the Noble District. She had the financial means, and her influence within Gilm was more than sufficient. But a sprawling estate didn't appeal to her. A bigger place meant more cleaning, and she already spent most of her time at the Guild, returning home only to sleep. Building a grand estate for that would only create unnecessary burdens—not to mention she'd have to hire staff, and given her duties as Guild Master, she couldn't afford to carelessly employ just anyone.
As a result, Marina's current home was modest enough in scale that "house" was a more fitting description than "estate."
Incidentally, she didn't hire anyone for cleaning—she did it herself. Though rather than using brooms and rags, she used Spirit Magic to finish the job in a fraction of the time.
"Is that so? I'll look forward to visiting your place someday," Vihera said.
"Yes, let's hope that happens soon."
Marina replied to Vihera, exchanged brief farewells with Elena and Rei, and stepped down from the carriage. Being so close to the Guild, many adventurers recognized her face—and many had witnessed the earlier commotion or heard about it. As a result, her exit drew plenty of attention from passersby. Marina, completely used to such gazes, paid them no mind and said her goodbyes to Set and Ielo, who was perched on his head.
Once they confirmed Marina had disappeared inside the Guild, the carriage set off again.
"Lady Elena, the Wheat Inn at dusk, correct?" Ara asked.
"Yes, please. We were supposed to head straight there, but it ended up taking far longer than expected."
That, too, was all because of the Masked Attackers, whose motives Elena couldn't begin to comprehend. Originally, Marina was supposed to part ways with them at the Wheat Inn. But after what had happened, letting her walk to the Guild alone was out of the question. With Marina's abilities, she could have wiped out a hundred men of that caliber with Spirit Magic and her bow. Even so, on the off chance something went wrong, escorting her directly was undeniably the right call. With no idea what the other party was scheming, they needed to exercise every possible precaution.
"Still," Vihera murmured, "to finally come back to Gilm after all this time... and have it turn into something so dull."
It had been two months since Vihera was last in Gilm, and she must have been looking forward to all sorts of things. Though she had spent those two months unconscious.
"True," Rei said. "I would've loved to throw a proper banquet, but I guess that's not happening."
For one thing, the other adventurers were busy with winter preparations. Those who had earned enough money were fine, but plenty of adventurers hadn't saved enough yet—or had a decent amount stashed away but wanted to climb to a slightly higher standard of living.
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Vihera paused, then turned to Elena. "So, Elena."
"Hm?"
Vihera, who had been chatting with Rei, suddenly addressed Elena, who had been quietly sipping her fruit water.
"What is it?"
"How long can you stay in Gilm? Until spring?"
Please let it be so. That was the hope behind Vihera's question, but Elena shook her head.
"I'd love nothing more, but I stretched myself thin to come here this time. I need to head back as soon as possible. Fortunately... though I'm not sure that's the right word—there's no snow yet."
That implicitly signaled she intended to leave Gilm before the snow began in earnest.
"Is that so? ...But are you sure you want to leave me behind as things are?"
A smile played on Vihera's lips, but her gaze was fixed pointedly on Rei. She said nothing in words, but the implication was crystal clear, even to Elena.
"...Oh? You say something interesting. In that case, I have my own thoughts on the matter."
"Oh? And what thoughts are those? Do you really think you can manage something in this situation? For that matter, Marina is stepping down as Guild Master to join us. What do you intend to do, Elena?"
Vihera asked with a mischievous air, but the light in her eyes was dead serious. She was a former member of the Imperial Family, now an adventurer. Marina was abandoning her position as Guild Master to join them. Compared to that, Elena was still bound to the Noble's Faction. That was clearly what she wanted to convey.
Elena must have understood what Vihera was getting at. She furrowed her brow slightly and fell silent. As things stood, being recognized as Rei's partner would be difficult.
For Elena, her family—the Duke Kerebel's House—was not something she could simply cast aside. She understood that Rei was the most important person to her, but the Duke Kerebel's House was also important. In that regard, her conviction ran differently in depth than Vihera's, who had walked away from the Bestia Empire without a second thought. Elena understood this. But at the same time, she couldn't see herself doing what Vihera had done.
As Elena began to wrestle with her thoughts, the atmosphere inside the carriage darkened, if only slightly. If Ielo had been inside, it might have livened things up—but Ielo was currently outside with Set.
"Well, Elena, you obviously have things to think about and things you need to do. But you should consider this carefully. I won't say any more than that—so think it through."
With that, Vihera fell silent. Naturally, Elena said nothing either. And under such circumstances, there was no way Rei could say anything.
In silence, the carriage rolled on... until it finally arrived at the Wheat Inn.
And those who greeted Rei and his party as they stepped out were—
"Mn!"
It was Byune, whom they hadn't seen in quite some time.